Researchers adapted an artificial intelligence (AI) program to detect signs of childbirth-related post-traumatic stress disorder (CB-PTSD) by evaluating short narrative statements of birthing patients. The program successfully identified a large proportion of participants likely to have the disorder, and with further refinements – such as details from medical records and birth experience data from different populations – the model could potentially identify a large proportion of those at risk. The study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health, appears in Scientific Reports.
Worldwide, CB-PTSD affects approximately 8 million people who give birth each year, and current practice for diagnosing CB-PTSD requires an evaluation by a physician, which is time-consuming and expensive. An effective screening method has the potential to rapidly and cost-effectively identify large numbers of postpartum patients who could benefit from diagnosis and treatment. Untreated CB-PTSD can affect breastfeeding, bonding with the infant, and the desire for future pregnancy. It can also worsen maternal depression, which can lead to suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
The researchers administered the CB-PTSD Checklist, which is a questionnaire designed to screen for the disorder, to 1,295 postpartum women. Participants also provided short narratives of approximately 30 words about their birth experience. The researchers then trained an artificial intelligence model to analyze a subset of narratives from patients who also tested high for CB-PTSD symptoms on the questionnaire. The model was then used to analyze a different subset of narratives for evidence of CB-PTSD. Overall, the model correctly identified participants’ narratives as likely to have CB-PTSD because they scored high on the questionnaire.
The authors believe their work could ultimately make the diagnosis of postpartum PTSD more accessible, providing a means to offset past socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic disparities.
The study was conducted by Alon Bartal, Ph.D., of Bar Ilan University in Israel, led by senior author Sharon Dekel, Ph.D., of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston. Funding was provided by the NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
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Journal Reference:
Bartal, A., et al. (2024). Artificial intelligence and narrative embeddings detect postpartum PTSD through birth stories. Scientific Reports. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-54242-2.
